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Brace yourself. These copycat Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies are not messing around. They are giant, gooey, bakery-style showstoppers. Thick centers, crisp edges, toasted walnuts, and puddles of melty chocolate in every bite.
They’re rich, bold, and unapologetically extra. If you’re baking cookies, go big or go home.
Want something a little lighter? Try our einkorn chocolate chip cookies. Same melty chips, but made with nutty, whole-grain flour.
Here’s Why This Levain Cookie Recipe Works
Two flours, better texture: The combo of bread and all-purpose flour gives these cookies serious chew and heft without turning cakey.
Extra yolks: One of the whole eggs gets swapped for two yolks. That cuts moisture and boosts fat, leading to richer flavor, gooier centers, and less spread.
Chill time counts: Letting the dough rest intensifies flavor and prevents spreading, so the cookies stay thick.
That signature shape: Breaking and re-stacking the dough creates that jagged, bakery-style top.
Curious how we tested this recipe? Jump to the testing notes.
Recipe Tips
Weigh your dough: Use a kitchen scale to get consistent 6-ounce cookie balls. It matters for texture and bake time.
Don’t overmix: Once the flour goes in, mix just until combined. Overmixing = tough cookies.
Use a jagged stacking trick: Break the dough ball in half, rotate the tops outward, then press back together. That’s how you get those signature rough tops.
Don’t overbake: Pull them when the edges are golden but the centers still look a little underdone. They’ll finish setting up on the pan.
Check temp for doneness: If you’ve got an instant-read thermometer, aim for 175°F to 180°F in the center. That sweet spot keeps the middles gooey without being raw.
New York Style Cookie Recipe
Levain’s real genius? Texture. The outside bakes up golden and crisp, but the inside stays soft and gooey, almost underdone, in a good way. Then there’s the chunk factor. This isn’t your dainty chocolate chip situation.
We’re talking serious density: melty chips, toasted walnuts, and thick dough loaded to the max. Want something with a more caramelized, toffee vibe? Try our brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
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Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
- 2 cups bread flour, 240 grams
- 2½ teaspoons salt, 15 grams
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1¾ teaspoons baking soda
- 20 tablespoons unsalted butter, 284 grams
- 1¼ cups brown sugar, 265 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups chocolate chips, 680 grams
- 3 ½ cups toasted walnuts, chopped (397 grams)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the two flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl then set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the flour mixture either by hand or on the lowest setting of an electric mixer. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Use a ½-cup measuring cup as a rough guide, then adjust to 6 ounces using a kitchen scale for best results. The dough balls should feel hefty (almost the size of a baseball). Break each ball in half, rotate the jagged sides to face outward, and press the halves back together. This shaping trick gives the cookies their signature lumpy, craggy texture.Place the dough balls on a tray or plate and chill them in the fridge for 4 to 24 hours. (It’s much easier to portion the dough while it’s still soft, before chilling.)
- Place the balls of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Recipe Testing Notes
This recipe is a revision of the one I originally published in 2018, and after lots of testing (and cookie tasting), I landed on a version that checks all the boxes. I wanted a cookie that captured everything we love about Levain Bakery’s iconic chocolate chip cookie; its size, gooey center, and melty mix-ins.
I tested multiple variations, tweaking the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla to strike the right balance. Sugar took the most experimenting. Too much and the cookies spread too much; too little and they lost that cookie-like richness.
I reduced the brown sugar just enough to help the cookies stay thick, but not so much that they lost their flavor. I also increased the salt and vanilla, which added a deeper, more nuanced flavor that testers loved.
We even ordered cookies straight from Levain Bakery in New York so we could compare side by side. Everyone agreed: this version has a similar texture and even more flavor.
The mix of chocolate and walnuts got bumped up to match Levain’s generously loaded centers, and that extra salt and vanilla brought everything into balance.
Some things, though, didn’t need adjusting. From my original 2018 recipe, I kept two key elements that still work beautifully:
- Bread flour: Its higher protein content helps reduce spread and creates a dense, chewy structure, the kind you expect from a bakery-style cookie.
- Extra egg yolks: Swapping one whole egg for two yolks cuts moisture and adds fat, which keeps the cookies thick and makes the centers richer and gooier.
These cookies are amazing!!! I’ve tried many copy cat recipes and these are it! EVERYONE I gave them to raved
Oh, that is so great to hear. Thanks for your amazing review.
Follow this recipe exactly and the cookies while tasty spread out too much. Not at all like Levain cookies.
It’s hard to know what went wrong. Did you chill the dough? You may want to try weighing the flour to get a more accurate measurement.
Holy cow! Super exciting to make this recipe after annual trip to NYC put on covid-hold. I went to Levain Bakery a few years ago (mid-winter early morning to avoid the line) and thought their cookies were over the top. Since I am WFH I thought it would be fun to try to recreate.
I made the dough and 6 oz balls, now resting in the refrigerator. The biggest cookies I normally make are 3 oz so I was shocked to see how large they were.
Looking forward to baking a few off tomorrow and freezing the rest to bake later for gifts. #GotMilk
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks for the comment Laura. That’s what I do as well, I keep balls of dough in the fridge or freezer because it is to easy to eat them all if I bake the whole batch at once. LOL
I wish I could include a photo. My cookies didn’t come out exactly as yours did. They are a more flat but I cooked them a bit longer so thats ok. I wanted to write a comment to say the flavor is AMAZING! I used 1 cup dark 1 cup milk and instead of nuts added an attractive tsp of salt and caramel bits. They are so fricken good. Thank you for posting this recipe. We will absolutely make again. The flavor combinations are endless.
Thanks for the comment Jennifer. The caramel bits sound amazing. If you have more trouble with the cookies coming out flatter than mine then try sticking them in the fridge for several hours before you bake them.
I’m having trouble with these cookies spreading too much in the oven. I use melted butter, chill the dough, and follow all the steps. The only issue i can think is that this extreme spreading only happens when I use a stand mixer. My hand mixer, though a little more inefficient, never fails me. Dough made from the stand mixer always comes out nice and dense and bakes perfectly! What should I do ?
That’s interesting. I don’t notice a difference in the outcome if I use a hand mixer but it if works better for you then stick to the hand mixer. One other thing you may want to consider is how you are measuring your flour. You may want to try weighing the flour for a more accurate measurement.
Hi. First off WOWOWOWOW. AMAZING cookies. Thank you for the detailed instructions! I’ve made them for a family picnic last year and had everyone commenting on them. People LOVED them. Obviously. How couldn’t you!
Secondly why comment to say something about the butter being melted? If you don’t want to melt the butter DONT. I hate when people blog their ideas and recipes and others comment about how you shouldn’t or should’ve done something else. You tried something different that worked out.? Awesome let us all know, otherwise leave your comments to yourself.
Question about no nuts…use toffee bits. It’s to die for!!
Thanks for the kind and supportive comment, Erin. I really appreciate that. I do think the melted butter works great in this recipe. There is a bit of science to it and it creates a denser, chewier cookie. In my opinion, that is what helped make it so similar to the Levain cookies. 🙂
AND toffee bits sound UH-mazing!!
I just finished making these and WOW did they turn out amazing! I substituted extra chocolate for the nuts but my family has declared these the only chocolate chip cookies I’m allowed to make ! Thank you 🙂
That’s so great to hear. Thanks for that update 🙂
Hi!! it looks so nice and I really love to make it…. but ,,,,, 1-1/2 cups butter’ means, what gram?
1-1/2 cups of butter is equal to 340 grams. Thanks for your question
I would have to say no melted butter. If you watch levain make the cookies themselves they put in the solid butter.
Thanks Leslie, it’s not Levain’s own recipe but my version of what looks and tastes like theirs.
These cookies look delicious. I am going to make them tomorrow. Can I use another ingredient instead of the nuts? Also how can I view the reviews on these cookies? Than you,
Kathy, if you can’t have nuts then I would try replacing the nuts with some crunchy granola or even some sunflower seeds. Another option would be to toss in some rolled oats. There are only star reviews on this recipe, no one has left a written review yet. I hope you enjoy the cookies and your baking.